In today’s media world, we can target consumers to the most minute level with our advertising, even with the depreciation of third-party cookies. This shift in technology has given us incredible customization opportunities in terms of communication strategy and the ability to target creative person to person. However, what is often lost in this conversation is how important it is to continue reaching new, broader audiences at the top of the funnel before they can become qualified buyers at the bottom. And the best answer for that? Well, some might say it’s a bit old-fashioned, but traditional awareness media is still imperative for leading efficient, targeted efforts that ultimately lead to conversion.  

Broadway shows are in a crowded and competitive advertising space. All of our experiences take place in the same twenty-block span of the city and there are only so many people interested in and willing to pay to see a Broadway show. So, we slice and dice our audiences, and ultimately, work to find the most hyper-efficient targeting options to identify the exact collection of people who want to see our shows while staying within budget. However, in recent years, we’ve found that solely using such an approach leaves out people you may not think fall into this targeting, but actually, could have their interest piqued by a top-of-the-funnel piece of media.

We recently put this theory to the test while working on a project for a client, and found that including broad CTV and broadcast advertising reduced the impressions needed to convert by 45%. The only targeting placed on the media was dayparting and geo-targeting. If you were watching TV during our advertising window and you live in the NY DMA you could have seen our ad, whether you fall within our usual audiences or not. This is important, as the amount of media touchpoints needed for conversion has gotten higher in recent years, with the average ranging between 8-12. This has created a much longer path to purchase than pre-pandemic and created a greater need for awareness media, especially if it creates a latency effect months down the road. 

A full-funnel approach to media might seem unnecessary to Broadway shows who think they know their specific audience and how to reach them, but if most of your money is spent in the middle and bottom of the funnel, how can you fill it with new people to target? By investing a larger percentage of your budget in awareness media–a billboard in Times Square, Sunday morning TV, a printed panel on the subway–you are constantly filling and refilling the funnel with new audiences for your hyper-efficient media to sort and push through to conversion at a faster rate. Spend more at the top and your media won’t have to work as hard at the bottom. 

Over-segmentation creates silos, and if we focus too much on the easily attainable targets, we’re missing out on someone sitting at home who has never engaged with Broadway before but may see one visual, hear one note, and be intrigued enough to say “tell me more.”